The Amazing Mercy of God
Romans 4:14-17 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
Where there is no law there is no transgression. This is a powerful statement! In the New Testament, we are not under law therefore we cannot transgress. But think of all the people who lived and died from Adam to when the Law was given through Moses. What about all those people?
Romans 5:12-19 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
“Death reigned from Adam to Moses” tells us that the period between the first man, Adam, and the formal giving of the Law by Moses was marked by death as a consequence of sin. This implies that sin, inherited from Adam’s transgression, resulted in death for all humanity during that time, including those who did not directly violate the specific law given to Adam.
We see again that sin is not imputed where there is no law. So, if sin was not imputed to those who lived and died before the Law was given, where are they now? Heaven, or Hell?
A legalistic mind would assume that all those in Noah’s flood went to hell, but they were not living under Law because it had not been given yet. So, the terrible sin that they had fallen into and were practicing could not legally be counted against them.
This helps us better understand why God purposely destroyed all those people. It was a mercy killing.
Think about this: Just imagine a child of yours suffering terribly. Physically, mentally, and emotionally they were tormented with unbearable pain that was only increasing, and everyone knew that a long, slow, miserable death was imminent. Furthermore, any offspring they had would be born with the same terrible level of suffering and torment. If you had a choice to end that suffering and the suffering of generations to come, what would you do? It was God’s mercy that sent the flood. It was God’s righteous judgment.
1 Peter 4:4-6 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
Who is Peter referring to here? Who were the dead that the gospel was being preached to?
1 Peter 3:18-20 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
Peter makes it clear that at least some of the ones being preached to were the people destroyed in the great flood. They were in prison. Separated from God with no way back.
It is possible, even likely, that they were in Abraham’s bosom. The place of the righteous dead. But there is too little in the scripture to make that assumption. Abraham’s bosom is only mentioned once in Luke 16 when Jesus was telling the story of Lazarus and the rich man.
Luke 16:22-26 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
NOTE: In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word used to denote the realm of the dead is Sheol. It simply means “the place of the dead.” The Greek equivalent to Sheol is Hades, which is also a general reference to “the place of the dead.” Sheol/Hades seems to be divided into a place of blessing (where Lazarus was in Luke 16) and a place of torment (where the rich man was in Luke 16). Sheol also seems to be a temporary place where souls are kept as they await the final resurrection.
In the Old Testament, the souls of the righteous, at death, go directly into the presence of God. “Abraham’s bosom.” (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23).
If Abraham’s bosom was a place of paradise in Hades/Sheol reserved for the righteous dead, then Jesus preached to all those before the Law and emptied that place of all those who were imprisoned, separated from God.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
As righteous as Abraham was, he still could not be fully reconciled to the Father. No one in history could come to the Father until Jesus placed His blood on the mercy seat. Even then, the living and dead still had confess with their mouths and believe with their hearts.
Matthew 27:51-54 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:12
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